The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved 14 development projects with a total estimated cost of Tk13,445.41 crore.
The approval was granted during a meeting held Sunday at the Bangladesh Secretariat, chaired by Prime Minister and ECNEC Chairperson Tarique Rahman.
Out of the total expenditure, the government will provide Tk8,089.56 crore from its own funds, while Tk5,340.26 crore will be sourced through project loans and Tk15.59 crore will come from the implementing agencies’ own funds.
The approved schemes include five new initiatives, five revised projects, and four projects with time extensions.
The meeting was attended by a high-level ministerial delegation including Planning and Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, and Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.
Other attendees included Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Livestock Mohammad Amin ur Rashid, and Minister for Industries, Textiles and Jute, and Commerce Khandaker Abdul Muktadir.
Minister for Road Transport and Bridges, Railways and Shipping Sheikh Rabiul Alam, Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Sardar Md Sakawat Hossain, and Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Md Asaduzzaman were also present, alongside Minister of State for Planning Md Junaid Abdur Rahim Saki and senior government officials.
Infrastructure projects and investigation into delays
A significant portion of the approved funding is dedicated to the transport sector, with the Road Transport and Bridges Ministry receiving approval for five projects.
These include the construction of five climate-resilient bridges in the Mymensingh Division and the second phase of the Border Road construction project covering the Rangamati, Khagrachari, and Bandarban Hill Districts.
The committee also approved the upgrading of the Bairagirpul (Barishal)-Tumchar-Bauphal (Patuakhali) district highway, the Barishal-Bhola-Lakshmipur national highway, and the construction of the Goma Bridge over the Rangamati River.
Notably, the ECNEC has decided to form an investigation committee, headed by the Cabinet Secretary, to probe why the duration of these final three road projects was extended five times.
In the railway sector, two projects were approved, focusing on the maintenance and rehabilitation of the western zone’s tracks and the construction of a broad-gauge railway from Madhukhali to Magura Town.
Urban water supply and sectoral modernisation
The updated list of approvals includes a new project for emergency water supply in Dhaka city under the Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Ministry.
This joins other urban welfare initiatives such as the expansion of integrated health care for urban populations, the construction of cleaners’ quarters under the Chattogram City Corporation, and various infrastructure developments within the Dhaka South City Corporation.
The committee further cleared the first revision of the customs modernisation and infrastructure development project, the RIVER project for resilient infrastructure, and the third revision of a programme for PPR disease eradication and foot-and-mouth disease control.
In addition to these major projects, the committee was apprised of 33 smaller initiatives, each costing less than Tk50 crore, which had been previously approved by the Planning Minister.
These projects cover a diverse range of sectors, including the Rail Bazar railway overpass in Kushtia, the four-lane expansion of the Ashuganj-Akhaura highway, and the modernisation of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court.
Environmental and agricultural efforts were also noted, such as the revitalisation of the Sutang, Hisna, and Baroi rivers, alongside projects for poultry research, mushroom cultivation, and the establishment of ten IT Training and Incubation Centres.
Power sector enhancements, including smart pre-payment meter installation in DESCO areas and the modernisation of distribution systems in the Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Khulna divisions, were also highlighted.
